The Equalizer Tops Weekend Box-Office

Denzel Washington once again showed he’s a consistent performer at the U.S. box-office with his new take on “The Equalizer” pulling in an estimated $35 million over the weekend despite tepid critical reviews.

That marks the third-best opening of his career (behind “American Gangster” and “Safe House”), and the best September opening for an R-rated movie. Internationally though it didn’t fare so well, chalking up around half that figure in over sixty markets. With a production budget at a modest $55 million though, and a solid A- CinemaScore, it’ll be a profitable venture for Sony Pictures.

The second week of Fox’s “The Maze Runner” kept up the pace in second spot with $17.5 million. It has amassed a worldwide total of $149 million. Liam Neeson’s crime drama “A Walk Among the Tombstones” falling by 67% in its second outing to just $4.1 million and seventh place.

The other big opener this week was Laika’s “The Boxtrolls,” the 3D stop-motion film took in $17.3 million, the company’s best numbers yet and just ahead of their two previous films “Coraline” ($16.8 million) and “ParaNorman” ($14.1 million).